Method and apparatus for determining a user data resource assignment

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus can determine a user data resource assignment in a wireless network. A control channel candidate can be monitored for a control channel. The control channel candidate can correspond to a CCE parameter that is a function of a first RBG size used for user data resource assignments. The control channel can be decoded. A user data resource assignment can be determined based on the decoded control channel. The user data resource assignment can be based on a second RBG size.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus forcommunicating on a wireless network. More particularly, the presentdisclosure is directed to a method and apparatus that determine a userdata resource assignment in a wireless network.

2. Introduction

Presently, wireless communication devices, such as User Equipment (UE),communicate with other communication devices using wireless signals. Forcontrol channel design for Long Term Evolution (LTE) short PhysicalDownlink Control Channel (sPDCCH) and New Radio Physical DownlinkControl Channel (NR-PDCCH), a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)with Resource Elements (REs) used for user data can occupy the sameOrthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol as that ofsPDCCH/NR-PDCCH. Unfortunately, this results in unallocable resources inOFDM symbols in which control channels are sent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which advantages and features of thedisclosure can be obtained, a description of the disclosure is renderedby reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated inthe appended drawings. These drawings depict only example embodiments ofthe disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting ofits scope. The drawings may have been simplified for clarity and are notnecessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is an example block diagram of a system according to a possibleembodiment;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are example illustrations of scheduling user dataaccording to possible embodiments;

FIG. 4 is an example flowchart illustrating the operation of a wirelesscommunication device according to a possible embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an example flowchart illustrating the operation of a wirelesscommunication device according to a possible embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is an example block diagram of an apparatus according to apossible embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some embodiments can provide a method and apparatus that determine auser data resource assignment in a wireless network. Some embodimentscan provide efficient control channel structures that minimizeunallocable resources in OFDM symbols in which control channels aresent.

According to a possible embodiment, a control channel candidate can bemonitored for a control channel. The control channel candidate cancorrespond to a Control Channel Element (CCE) parameter that is afunction of a first Resource Block Group (RBG) size used for user dataresource assignments, such as data resource allocation. The controlchannel can be decoded. A user data resource assignment can bedetermined based on the decoded control channel. The user data resourceassignment can be based on a second RBG size.

According to another possible embodiment, a control channel candidatefor a control channel can be associated with a CCE parameter that isbased on a first RBG size used for user data resource assignments. Thecontrol channel candidate can be transmitted in the control channel. Thecontrol channel candidate can contain control information if thecandidate is selected by the network to carry control information to theUE and a control channel for a UE is a control channel candidatecontaining the control information. User data can be transmitted inresources assigned by a user data resource assignment that is based onthe control channel. The user data resource assignment can be a functionof a second RBG size.

FIG. 1 is an example block diagram of a system 100 according to apossible embodiment. The system 100 can include a UE 110, a networkentity, such as a base station 120, and a network 130. The UE 110 can bea wireless wide area network device, a user device, wireless terminal, aportable wireless communication device, a smartphone, a cellulartelephone, a flip phone, a personal digital assistant, a personalcomputer, a selective call receiver, an Internet of Things (IoT) device,a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or any other user device that iscapable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wirelessnetwork. The network entity 120 can be a wireless wide area network basestation, can be a NodeB, an enhanced NodeB (eNB), can be a 5G NodeB(gNB), such as a New Radio (NR) NodeB, can be an unlicensed network basestation, can be an access point, can be a Transmission/Reception Point(TRP), can be a base station controller, can be a network controller,can be multiple network entities, and/or any can be other network entitythat can provide wireless access between a UE and a network.

The network 130 can include any type of network that is capable ofsending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, thenetwork 130 can include a wireless communication network, a cellulartelephone network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)-based network,a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)-based network, an OrthogonalFrequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based network, a Long TermEvolution (LTE) network, a 5G network, a 3rd Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP)-based network, a satellite communications network, a highaltitude platform network, the Internet, and/or other communicationsnetworks.

In operation, the UE 110 can communicate with the network 130 via atleast one base station, such as the network entity 120. For example, theUE can send and receive control signals on a control channel and userdata signals on a data channel.

A UE can be configured with multiple control resource sets. Each controlresource set can correspond to a set of Resource Element Groups (REGs).For example, for NR-PDCCH, each REG can correspond to one PhysicalResource Block (PRB) in the frequency domain and one ODFM symbol in timedomain. In another example, for sPDCCH, each REG can correspond to onePRB in the frequency domain and two ODFM symbols in the time domain.

Control resource sets can be configured in a UE specific manner and thePRBs and OFDM symbols corresponding to each control resource set can beconfigured for the UE via higher layers. While the UE can generallyexpect to be configured with same number of OFDM symbols for all controlresource sets configured for the UE, signaling flexibility for number ofOFDM symbols can be used if the numerology used for different sets isnot same. The numerology can affect subcarrier spacing and slot length,where a smaller numerology value can result in a smaller subcarrierspacing and a longer slot length.

Different alternatives can be possible for mapping of control channelcandidates for sPDCCH/NR-PDCCH. A first alternative can be frequencyfirst mapping of REGs to CCEs and frequency first mapping of CCEs tosearch space control channel candidates. That is, REGs can be firstmapped to CCEs in the frequency domain before mapping the REGs to CCEsin the time domain, such as across symbols. Also, CCEs can be mapped tosearch space control candidates in the frequency domain before mappingthe CCEs to search space control candidates in the time domain. A secondalternative can be time first mapping of REGs to CCEs and time firstmapping of CCEs to search space control channel candidates. A thirdalternative can be frequency first mapping of REGs to CCEs and timefirst mapping of CCEs to search control channel space candidates. Afourth alternative can be time first mapping of REGs to CCEs andfrequency first mapping of CCEs to search space control channelcandidates.

In general, CCEs corresponding to a control channel candidate can bemapped such that they occur within as few OFDM symbols as possible, suchas one OFDM symbol. This can be useful from a decoderimplementation/latency perspective and can also be potentially usefulfrom a resource utilization perspective. However, in some cases, thefrequency span of a control resource set may not be large enough toaccommodate all CCEs of a control channel candidate, such as for higheraggregation levels at smaller bandwidths. For such scenarios, thecontrol channel candidate can be constructed using CCEs in multiple OFDMsymbols by repeating the CCE locations in later OFDM symbols.

The REG to CCE mapping can be limited in a frequency first manner tolimit the control channel candidates to fewer ODFM symbols from decoderimplementation/latency perspective. However, if the REGs of a CCE spanmultiple OFDM symbols, then a DMRS sent in one OFDM symbol can be usedfor channel estimation in other symbols. This may not be possible ifREGs of a CCE are restricted to span only one OFDM symbol, whichotherwise can result in a potential increase of pilot overhead.Therefore, while CCE to search space candidate mapping can be frequencyfirst, a decision on time first vs. frequency first mapping of REGs toCCEs, such as between the first alternative and the fourth alternativeabove, can be taken after DMRS design for NR-PDCCH is finalized.

Transmission of PDCCH in one OFDM symbol can be supported for NR, and NRDMRS can have sufficient density to account for this case. A separate NRDMRS pattern may possibly be used to support a multi-symbol PDDCH. If aseparate DMRS pattern is not used, the fourth alternative above may notbe used. If separate DMRS patterns are used for one symbol andmulti-symbol PDCCH, both the first and the fourth alternatives can besupported.

For LTE, a PDCCH can be transmitted in a control region that is notshared with a PDSCH in the frequency domain. When EPDCCH was introduced,commonality with PDCCH was maintained whenever possible. However, forsPDCCH and NR-PDCCH, the control channel design can be made compatiblewith characteristics of PDSCH resource allocation whenever possible andthe need to maintain commonality with LTE PDCCH may not be that strong.

For example, if PDSCH resource allocation based on RBGs is supported,such as similar to LTE Resource Aggregation (RA) Type 0 and 1 in LTE,then CCE size and aggregation levels supported for sPDCCH/NR-PDCCH canbe chosen such that the size of control channel candidates and RBG sizeused for PDSCH evenly divide, such as by multiple or sub-multiple, witheach other as much as possible.

To elaborate on this example, if RBG size of 3RBs is used for PDSCH,such as similar to a 10 MHz Bandwidth (BW) case for LTE, a CCEsize/aggregation level combination that results in PDCCH candidatesspanning n*3RBs may provide a better reuse of PDCCH to PDSCH resourcesthan a CCE size of 4REGs/RBs and aggregation level L=1, 2, 4, and 8.Allowing for such considerations, such as choosing CCE size and/oraggregation levels based on RBG size of PDSCH, NR-PDCCH design can bemade more elaborate than LTE and the number of options can be limited tocontrol implementation complexity.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are example illustrations 200 and 300 of scheduling userdata according to possible embodiments. In the illustration 200, user1has data to be scheduled in one RBG: RBG0, while user2 has data to bescheduled in three RBGs: RBG1, RBG2, and RBG3. Data allocation for user2also uses resources in the OFDM symbols used for control channeltransmission. The CCE size of three RBs and the aggregation level can bechosen such that the control channel transmission for user1 and user2are aligned with RBG boundaries.

In the illustration 300 the CCE size and aggregation level can be chosensuch that control channel transmission for user1 and user2 are notaligned with RBG boundaries. The RBG1 may not be allocated to user2since the control channel for user1 is not limited to subcarrierscorresponding to RBG0 but is also transmitted in subcarrierscorresponding to RBG1 resulting in unused resources. The data for user2that could have been sent in RBG1 can now be sent in a laterslot/subframe, which may result in degraded performance for user2.

The illustrations 200 and 300 show data allocation within asubframe/slot, where a slot can be a short Transmit Time Interval(sTTI), such as two, three, or seven symbols, that is shorter than asubframe TTI. In some cases, such as sPDCCH scheduling of short PDSCH(sPDSCH), data allocation can be in the same OFDM symbols used forcontrol. The sPDCCH and sPDSCH can correspond to a sTTI.

The implementations discussed above can be addressed by using thefollowing example designs. While the example describes sPDCCH and sPDSCHreuse, similar principles can be used for NR-PDCCH and NR-PDSCH reuse inthe same OFDM symbol.

According to a possible embodiment, a set up can be used for PDSCH RBGsize of 3 RBs, such as a 10 MHz system BW case in LTE. According to thisembodiment, the RBG size can be 3 RBs. The sRBG size can be 2 RBGs=6RBs, where there can be 9 sRBGs in the overall BW, where the last sRBGcan be smaller than the others. The sPDSCH can be allocated with sRBGgranularity. One CCE can be 1 REG. One REG can be 1 RB spanning two OFDMsymbols. The sPDCCH can be allocated using aggregation levels L=2, 3,and 6 CCEs. If a UE detects a Downlink (DL) assignment in a sRBG, it canassume that all RBs in the sRBG following the detected DL assignment areassigned for that UE. Any UL grants can precede the DL assignment in thesRBG. There may be no need to specify this and it can be handled byscheduler. Given this, if there are UEs with only DL assignment or UEswith an UL grant and DL assignments, or if there are UL grants for a setof UEs and DL assignments for another set of UEs, then no holes, such asunallocated control resources that cannot be used for data transmission,may be created. Holes may be created when there are more UL grants thanDL assignments or when the UL grant and DL assignment cannot be sent insame sRBG due to search space restrictions. Holes may not need to beminimized for this aspect, as the minimization of holes can be handledby the scheduler for most cases.

For example, consider a 10 MHz BW where sRBGs can be 1-9. UEs can beconfigured with 2 sets of sRBGs: s1 (sRBG1, sRBG4, and sRBG7) and s2(sRBG2, sRBG5, and sRBG8) for monitoring the sPDCCH. sRBGs 3, 6, and 9can be used for other purposes such as data transmission, like sPDSCH.Some UEs can be configured with a first sPDCCH control resource setconfiguration, and can monitor sPDCCH as follows: for L=2 CCE, twosPDCCH candidates within the 1st control resource set s1 and one sPDCCHcandidate within the 2nd control resource set s2 (3 candidates in total)can be monitored; for L=3 CCE, one sPDCCH candidate within the 1stcontrol resource set s1 and one sPDCCH candidate within the 2nd controlresource set s2 (2 candidates in total) can be monitored; and for L=6CCE, one sPDCCH candidate within the 1st control resource set s1 (1candidate in total) can be monitored. Some other UEs can be configuredwith a second sPDCCH control resource set configuration, and monitorsPDCCH as follows: for L=2 CCE, one sPDCCH candidate within the 1stcontrol resource set s1 and 2 sPDCCH candidates within the 2nd controlresource set s2 (3 candidates in total) can be monitored; for L=3 CCE,one sPDCCH candidate within the 1st control resource set s1 and onesPDCCH candidate within the 2nd control resource set s2 (2 candidates intotal) can be monitored; and for L=6 CCE, one sPDCCH candidate withinthe 2nd control resource set s2 (1 candidate) can be monitored. Noholes, such as non-allocable resources, may be created corresponding toan sPDCCH candidate with L=6CCEs since the entire sRBG is used, such aswhen all 6 CCEs are mapped to a single sRBG. For smaller aggregationlevels the candidates can be spread in the sets so a scheduler can pickan appropriate set to avoid holes for most cases.

According to another possible embodiment, a set up can be used for PDSCHRBG size of 4 RBs, such as a 20 MHz system BW case in LTE. According tothis embodiment, the RBG size can be 4RBs. The sRBG size can be2RBGs=8RBs. There can be 13 sRBGs in the overall BW, where the last sRBGcan be smaller than the others. The sPDSCH can be allocated with sRBGgranularity. One CCE can be 1REG=1RB. The sPDCCH can be allocated usingaggregation levels L=2, 4, and 8 CCEs. The aggregation levels can resultin more REs compared to 10 MHz. This can be partially compensated for bya larger DCI payload for 20 MHz.

From a sPDCCH monitoring perspective, the fractional/smaller sRBG, suchas the 9th sRBG for 10 MHz and the 13th sRBG for 20 MHz, which can bethe sRBG located towards one of the channel edges, can be handled bysimply appending it as an extra control channel candidate to thepreceding sRBG or a set s2. Thus, for 10 MHz, the 9th sRBG can create anextra L=2 candidate for the 8th sRBG. Also, for 20 MHz, the 13th sRBGcan create an extra L=4 candidate for the 12th sRBG. The fractional sRBGcan be included in one of the configured sets, where which configuredset it is included in can be indicated to the UE during setconfiguration or based on a predefined rule. The fractional sRBG canalso provide additional CCEs for some of the control channel candidates.For example, a 6 CCE candidate for 10 MHz can become an 8 CCE candidatewith the 2 extra CCEs from the fractional sRBG.

According to possible embodiments, user data, such as in the PDSCH, canbe allocated in groups of resource blocks, such as RBGs. Controlsignals, such as in sPDCCH/NR-PDCCH, can be transmitted using CCEs whereeach CCE can correspond to one or more REGs. Each RE can correspond toone subcarrier in one OFDM symbol. Data and control can be transmittedin same OFDM symbol. The CCE size, C, used for control transmission canbe determined based on the RBG size used for data scheduling. Similarly,the aggregation levels, Lϵ{L1, L2 . . . }, at which control channelcandidates are monitored can be determined based on the RBG size usedfor data scheduling. A control channel candidate at aggregation level Lcan correspond to L CCEs with each CCE having CCE size C. The RBG sizecan be determined based on system bandwidth or it can be configured viahigher layers. The dependence of CCE size and/or aggregation level neednot be present for monitoring all types of control channel candidates.For example, to monitor candidates belonging to a common search space ora common control resource set, such as control used for systeminformation scheduling, paging indication, RACH response indication,etc., the UE can use a default CCE size and default set of aggregationlevels. The CCE size and/or aggregation level can be part of a higherlayer message. The higher layer message can also configure the RBG sizefor data scheduling. Control and data can be sent in the same OFDMsymbol of a slot/subframe. A slot/subframe can correspond to multipleOFDM symbols, such as 2, 7, or 14 OFDM symbols.

FIG. 4 is an example flowchart 400 illustrating the operation of awireless communication device, such as the UE 110, according to apossible embodiment. At 410, a control channel candidate for a controlchannel can be monitored. Monitoring the control channel candidate canimply attempting to decode the control channel candidate. The controlchannel candidate can correspond to a CCE parameter that can be afunction of a first RBG size used for user data resource assignments.The first RBG size can be for a rRBG that corresponds to a regular TTIor a sRBG that corresponds to a shorter TTI that is shorter in lengththan the regular TTI. A RBG can be used as resource allocation unit viaa DL data assignment. An RBG can include multiple RBs. The RBG size innumber of RBs can be determined as a function of system bandwidth,bandwidth configuration, or other information.

The CCE parameter can be a CCE size. The CCE size can be a function ofthe first RBG size used for user data resource assignments. The controlchannel candidate can correspond to the CCE size. For example, the CCEsize can be a function of a number REGs in the CCE and a REG size can bebased on a number of REs in the REG. The CCE size, such as in number ofREGs, can be a multiple or a submultiple of an RBG size. The CCE sizecan be in the frequency domain. Also, the first RBG size can be anumber, K, of times the CCE size. The number K can be a positive integervalue. For example, the CCE size can be a multiple of the RBG size.Additionally, the CCE size can be a number M of times the first RBGsize. The number M can be a positive integer value. For example, the RBGsize can be a multiple of the CCE size.

The CCE parameter can also be a set of CCE aggregation levels. Anaggregation level can be based on the number of CCE's in a PDCCH. Forexample, a control channel candidate with aggregation level L caninclude L CCEs. The control channel candidate can correspond to the setof CCE aggregation levels. The set of CCE aggregation levels can be afunction of the first RBG size used for user data resource assignments.In this implementation, the CCE size can be set irrespective to RBGsize, but the set of CCE aggregation levels can be set based on RBG sizeand CCE size.

The control channel candidate can be a first control channel candidate.The CCE parameter can be a first CCE parameter. A second control channelcandidate corresponding to a second CCE parameter can be monitored. Thesecond CCE parameter may not be a function of the first RBG size usedfor data resource assignments. As indicated above, the CCE parameter canbe a CCE size or a CCE aggregation level.

The UE can be configured with control resource sets including a firstset of the control resource sets and a second set of the controlresource sets. Each control resource set in the first set of the controlresource sets can include a plurality of RBGs of a third RBG size. Thethird RBG size can be either the first RBG size or the second RBG size.The second set of the control resource sets can include at least one RBGof a fourth RBG size. The fourth RBG size can be smaller than the thirdRBG size. Which configured control resource set the fourth sized RBG isincluded in can be determined according to an indication received by theUE or according to a predefined rule.

At 420, the control channel can be decoded. The control channelcandidate can be decoded based on a first DMRS pattern and a firstREG-to-CCE mapping when the control channel candidate is received in onesymbol control channel. The control channel candidate can be decodedbased on a second DMRS pattern and a second REG-to-CCE mapping when thecontrol channel candidate is received in more than one symbol controlchannel REGs can be first frequency mapped to CCEs before the REGs aretime mapped to CCEs in the first REG-to-CCE mapping. REGs can be firsttime mapped to CCEs before the REGs are frequency mapped to CCEs in thesecond REG-to-CCE mapping. CCEs can be first frequency mapped to searchspace candidates before the CCEs are time mapped to search spacecandidates. The second DMRS pattern can be different from the first DMRSpattern.

At 430, a user data resource assignment can be determined based on thedecoded control channel. The user data resource assignment can be basedon a second RBG size. The second RBG size can be for sRBG. Thedetermined user data resource assignment can allocate resource blocks inmultiples of RBGs of the second RBG size. The determined user resourceassignment can be different from the user data resource assignments forthe CCE parameter corresponding to the first RBG size. The user dataresource assignments for the CCE parameter can be for different TTIlengths, such as rTTI and sTTI lengths that are different from eachother. The determined data resource assignment can be for a sTTI length.

The first RBG size can be the same as the second RBG size. Alternately,the second RBG size can be a multiple of the first RBG size. Forexample, the first RBG size can be used for a user data resourceassignment associated with a first TTI duration. The second RBG size canbe used for a user data resource assignment associated with a second TTIduration. The second TTI duration can be smaller than the first TTIduration. The first and second RBG sizes can be determined based on a DLsystem BW or a DL channel BW configuration. There can be a table thatindicates which RBG size should be used for a given DL system BW orgiven DL channel BW. At least one of the first and second RBG sizes canalso be determined from a higher layer message. The higher layer can bea layer higher than a physical layer. The higher layer can be a RRClayer, a MAC layer, or any other layer higher than a physical layer.

The CCE parameter can be a CCE aggregation level of a control channelcandidate at least mapped to REGs occupying REs corresponding to atleast one RBG with a third RBG size. The third RBG size can be smallerthan the second RBG size. The CCE aggregation level of the controlchannel candidate can be determined based on the second RBG size and thethird RBG size. A CCE aggregation level of another control channelcandidate mapped to REGs occupying REs other than those corresponding tothe at least one RBG can be determined based on the second RBG size. Forexample, a fractional sRBG can also provide additional CCEs for some ofthe control channel candidates. As a further example, a 6 CCE candidatefor 10 MHz can become an 8 CCE candidate with the two extra CCEs fromthe fractional sRBG.

User data can be sent on a data channel whereas control signals can besent on a control channel User data can include at least one transportblock that is transmitted on at least one data channel Control channelsand user data can be received in the same OFDM symbol. A user datapacket can be segmented into at least one transport block.

FIG. 5 is an example flowchart 500 illustrating the operation of awireless communication device, such as the network entity 120, accordingto a possible embodiment. At 510, a control channel candidate for acontrol channel can be associated with a CCE parameter that is based ona first RBG size used for user data resource assignments.

At 520, the control channel candidate can be transmitted in the controlchannel. The control channel candidate can be a first control channelcandidate. The CCE parameter can be a first CCE parameter. A secondcontrol channel candidate corresponding to a second CCE parameter can betransmitted. The second CCE parameter may not be a function of the firstRBG size used for data resource assignments.

The CCE parameter can be a CCE size. The control channel candidate cancorrespond to the CCE size. The CCE size can be a function of the firstRBG size used for user data resource assignments. The first RBG size canbe a number, K, of times the CCE size. The number K can be a positiveinteger value. The CCE size can be a number, M, of times the first RBGsize. The number M can be a positive integer value. The CCE parametercan also be a set of CCE aggregation levels. The set of CCE aggregationlevels can be a function of the first RBG size used for user dataresource assignments. The control channel candidate can correspond tothe set of CCE aggregation levels.

At 530, user data can be transmitted in a user data resource assignmentthat is based on the control channel. The user data resource assignmentcan allocate resource blocks in multiples of RBGs of the second RBGsize. The user data resource assignment can be a function of a secondRBG size.

The first RBG size can be the same as the second RBG size. The secondRBG size can also be a multiple of the first RBG size. The first RBGsize can be used for a user data resource assignment associated with afirst TTI duration. The second RBG size can be used for a user dataresource assignment associated with a second TTI duration. The secondTTI duration can be smaller than the first TTI duration. The first andsecond RBG sizes can be determined based on a downlink system bandwidthor a downlink channel bandwidth configuration. A higher layer messagethat indicates at least one of the first and second RBG sizes can besent. The higher layer can be a layer higher than a physical layer.

A UE the control channel is transmitted to can be configured withcontrol resource sets including a first set of the control resource setsand a second set of the control resource sets. Each control resource setin the first set of the control resource sets can include a plurality ofRBGs of a third RBG size. The third RBG size can be either the first RBGsize or the second RBG size. The second set of the control resource setscan include at least one RBG of a fourth RBG size. The fourth RBG sizecan be smaller than the third RBG size. The UE can determine whichconfigured control resource set the fourth sized RBG is included inaccording to an indication sent to the UE or according to a predefinedrule.

The control channel candidate can include CCEs that include REGs. Thecontrol channel candidate can be based on a first DMRS pattern and afirst REG-to-CCE mapping when the control channel candidate is receivedin one symbol control channel. The control channel candidate can bebased on a second DMRS pattern and a second REG-to-CCE mapping when thecontrol channel candidate is received in more than one symbol controlchannel REGs can be first frequency mapped to CCEs before the REGs aretime mapped to CCEs in the first REG-to-CCE mapping. REGs can be firsttime mapped to CCEs before the REGs are frequency mapped to CCEs in thesecond REG-to-CCE mapping. CCEs can be first frequency mapped to searchspace candidates before the CCEs are time mapped to search spacecandidates. The second DMRS pattern can be different from the first DMRSpattern.

The CCE parameter can be a CCE aggregation level of a control channelcandidate at least mapped to REGs occupying REs corresponding to atleast one RBG with a third RBG size. The third RBG size can be smallerthan the second RBG size. The CCE aggregation level of the controlchannel candidate can be determined based on the second RBG size and thethird RBG size. A CCE aggregation level of another control channelcandidate mapped to REGs occupying REs other than those corresponding tothe at least one RBG can be determined based on the second RBG size. Forexample, a fractional sRBG can also provide additional CCEs for some ofthe control channel candidates. As a further example, a 6 CCE candidatefor 10 MHz can become an 8 CCE candidate with the 2 extra CCEs from thefractional sRBG.

It should be understood that, notwithstanding the particular steps asshown in the figures, a variety of additional or different steps can beperformed depending upon the embodiment, and one or more of theparticular steps can be rearranged, repeated or eliminated entirelydepending upon the embodiment. Also, some of the steps performed can berepeated on an ongoing or continuous basis simultaneously while othersteps are performed. Furthermore, different steps can be performed bydifferent elements or in a single element of the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 6 is an example block diagram of an apparatus 600, such as the UE110, the network entity 120, or any other wireless communication devicedisclosed herein, according to a possible embodiment. The apparatus 600can include a housing 610, a controller 620 coupled to the housing 610,audio input and output circuitry 630 coupled to the controller 620, adisplay 640 coupled to the controller 620, a transceiver 670 coupled tothe controller 620, at least one antenna 675 coupled to the transceiver670, a user interface 660 coupled to the controller 620, a memory 650coupled to the controller 620, and a network interface 680 coupled tothe controller 620. The apparatus 600 may not necessarily include all ofthe illustrated elements for different embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The apparatus 600 can perform the methods described in allthe embodiments.

The display 640 can be a viewfinder, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), aLight Emitting Diode (LED) display, an Organic Light Emitting Diode(OLED) display, a plasma display, a projection display, a touch screen,or any other device that displays information. The transceiver 670 canbe at least one or more transceivers that can include a transmitterand/or a receiver. The audio input and output circuitry 630 can includea microphone, a speaker, a transducer, or any other audio input andoutput circuitry. The user interface 660 can include a keypad, akeyboard, buttons, a touch pad, a joystick, a touch screen display,another additional display, multiple user interfaces, or any otherdevice useful for providing an interface between a user and anelectronic device. The network interface 680 can be a Universal SerialBus (USB) port, an Ethernet port, an infrared transmitter/receiver, anIEEE 1394 port, a WLAN transceiver, or any other interface that canconnect an apparatus to a network, device, and/or computer and that cantransmit and receive data communication signals. The memory 650 caninclude a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (RON), anoptical memory, a solid state memory, a flash memory, a removablememory, a hard drive, a cache, or any other memory that can be coupledto an apparatus.

The apparatus 600 or the controller 620 may implement any operatingsystem, such as Microsoft Windows®, UNIX®, or LINUX®, Android™, or anyother operating system. Apparatus operation software may be written inany programming language, such as C, C++, Java or Visual Basic, forexample. Apparatus software may also run on an application framework,such as, for example, a Java® framework, a .NET® framework, or any otherapplication framework. The software and/or the operating system may bestored in the memory 650 or elsewhere on the apparatus 600. Theapparatus 600 or the controller 620 may also use hardware to implementdisclosed operations. For example, the controller 620 may be anyprogrammable processor. Disclosed embodiments may also be implemented ona general-purpose or a special purpose computer, a programmedmicroprocessor or microprocessor, peripheral integrated circuitelements, an application-specific integrated circuit or other integratedcircuits, hardware/electronic logic circuits, such as a discrete elementcircuit, a programmable logic device, such as a programmable logicarray, field programmable gate-array, or the like. In general, thecontroller 620 may be any controller or processor device or devicescapable of operating an apparatus and implementing the disclosedembodiments. Some or all of the additional elements of the apparatus 600can also perform some or all of the operations of the disclosedembodiments.

In operation according to a possible embodiment where the apparatus 600can be a UE, the transceiver 670 can monitor a control channel candidatefor a control channel. The control channel candidate can correspond to aCCE parameter that is a function of a first RBG size used for user dataresource assignments. The control channel candidate can be a firstcontrol channel candidate. The CCE parameter can be a first CCEparameter. The transceiver 670 can monitor a second control channelcandidate corresponding to a second CCE parameter. The second CCEparameter may not be a function of the first RBG size used for dataresource assignments.

The controller 620 can decode the control channel. The controller 620can determine a user data resource assignment based on the decodedcontrol channel. The user data resource assignment can be based on asecond RBG size. The second RBG size can be a multiple of the first RBGsize. The first RBG size can be used for a user data resource assignmentassociated with a first TTI duration. The second RBG size can be usedfor a user data resource assignment associated with a second TTIduration. The second TTI duration can be smaller than the first TTIduration.

The apparatus 600 can be configured with control resource sets includinga first set of the control resource sets and a second set of the controlresource sets. Each control resource set in the first set of the controlresource sets can include a plurality of RBGs of a third RBG size. Thesecond set of the control resource sets can include at least one RBG ofa fourth RBG size. The fourth RBG size can be smaller than the third RBGsize. The controller 620 can determine which configured control resourceset the fourth sized RBG is included in according to an indicationreceived by the UE or according to a predefined rule.

According to another possible embodiment where the apparatus 600 can bea network entity, the controller 620 can associate a control channelcandidate for a control channel with a CCE parameter that is based on afirst RBG size used for user data resource assignments. The first RBGsize can be used for a user data resource assignment associated with afirst TTI duration. The transceiver 670 can transmit the control channelcandidate in the control channel. The transceiver 670 can transmit userdata in a user data resource assignment that is based on the controlchannel. The user data resource assignment can be a function of a secondRBG size. The second RBG size can be a multiple or submultiple of thefirst RBG size. The second RBG size can be used for a user data resourceassignment associated with a second TTI duration. The second TTIduration can be smaller than the first TTI duration.

The control channel candidate can be a first control channel candidate.The CCE parameter can be a first CCE parameter. The transceiver 670 cantransmit a second control channel candidate corresponding to a secondCCE parameter. The second CCE parameter may not be a function of thefirst RBG size used for data resource assignments.

A UE the control channel candidate is transmitted to can be configuredwith control resource sets including a first set of the control resourcesets and a second set of the control resource sets. Each controlresource set in the first set of the control resource sets can include aplurality of RBGs of a third RBG size. The second set of the controlresource sets can include at least one RBG of a fourth RBG size. Thefourth RBG size can be smaller than the third RBG size. The UE candetermine which configured control resource set the fourth sized RBG isincluded in according to an indication sent to the UE or according to apredefined rule.

The method of this disclosure can be implemented on a programmedprocessor. However, the controllers, flowcharts, and modules may also beimplemented on a general purpose or special purpose computer, aprogrammed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integratedcircuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logiccircuit such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device,or the like. In general, any device on which resides a finite statemachine capable of implementing the flowcharts shown in the figures maybe used to implement the processor functions of this disclosure.

While this disclosure has been described with specific embodimentsthereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, andvariations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example,various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, orsubstituted in the other embodiments. Also, all of the elements of eachfigure are not necessary for operation of the disclosed embodiments. Forexample, one of ordinary skill in the art of the disclosed embodimentswould be enabled to make and use the teachings of the disclosure bysimply employing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly,embodiments of the disclosure as set forth herein are intended to beillustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

In this document, relational terms such as “first,” “second,” and thelike may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from anotherentity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actualsuch relationship or order between such entities or actions. The phrase“at least one of,” “at least one selected from the group of,” or “atleast one selected from” followed by a list is defined to mean one,some, or all, but not necessarily all of, the elements in the list. Theterms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” or any other variationthereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that aprocess, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elementsdoes not include only those elements but may include other elements notexpressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, orapparatus. An element proceeded by “a,” “an,” or the like does not,without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identicalelements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprisesthe element. Also, the term “another” is defined as at least a second ormore. The terms “including,” “having,” and the like, as used herein, aredefined as “comprising.” Furthermore, the background section is writtenas the inventor's own understanding of the context of some embodimentsat the time of filing and includes the inventor's own recognition of anyproblems with existing technologies and/or problems experienced in theinventor's own work.

We claim:
 1. A method in a user equipment, method comprising monitoring,by the user equipment, a control channel candidate for a controlchannel, where the control channel candidate corresponds to a controlchannel element parameter that is a function of a first resource blockgroup size used for user data resource assignments; decoding the controlchannel; and determining a user data resource assignment based on thedecoded control channel, where the user data resource assignment isbased on a second resource block group size.
 2. The method according toclaim 1, wherein at least one selected from the first resource blockgroup size and second resource block group size is at least one selectedfrom determined based on system bandwidth and configured via a higherlayer, where a higher layer is higher than a physical layer.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a higher layermessage including at least one selected from a control channel elementsize and an aggregation level.
 4. The method according to claim 1,wherein the first resource block group size is used for a user dataresource assignment associated with a first transmit time intervalduration, wherein the second resource block group size is used for auser data resource assignment associated with a second transmit timeinterval duration, and wherein the second transmit time intervalduration is smaller than the first transmit time interval duration. 5.The method according to claim 1, wherein the control channel elementparameter comprises a control channel element size, and wherein thecontrol channel candidate corresponds to the control channel elementsize, where the control channel element size is a function of the firstresource block group size used for user data resource assignments. 6.The method according to claim 5, wherein the first resource block groupsize is a number, K, of times the control channel element size, and thenumber K is a positive integer value.
 7. The method according to claim5, wherein the control channel element size is a number, M, of times thefirst resource block group size, and the number M is a positive integervalue.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control channelelement parameter comprises a set of control channel element aggregationlevels, where the set of control channel element aggregation levels is afunction of the first resource block group size used for user dataresource assignments, and wherein the control channel candidatecorresponds to the set of control channel element aggregation levels. 9.The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining thefirst and second resource block group sizes based on a downlink systembandwidth or a downlink channel bandwidth configuration.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising determining at least one of thefirst and second resource block group sizes from a higher layer messagewhere the higher layer is a layer higher than a physical layer.
 11. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the control channel candidate is afirst control channel candidate, wherein the control channel elementparameter is a first control channel element parameter, and wherein themethod further comprises monitoring a second control channel candidatecorresponding to a second control channel element parameter where thesecond control channel element parameter is not a function of the firstresource block group size used for data resource assignments.
 12. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the user data resource assignmentallocates resource blocks in multiples of resource block groups of thesecond resource block group size.
 13. The method according to claim 1,wherein the control channel element parameter is a control channelelement aggregation level of a control channel candidate at least mappedto resource element groups occupying REs corresponding to at least oneresource block group with a third resource block group size, wherein thethird resource block group size is smaller than the second resourceblock group size, wherein the control channel element aggregation levelof the control channel candidate is determined based on the secondresource block group size and the third resource block group size, andwherein a control channel element aggregation level of another controlchannel candidate mapped to resource element groups occupying REs otherthan those corresponding to the at least one resource block group isdetermined based on the second resource block group size.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the user equipment is configured withcontrol resource sets including a first set of the control resource setsand a second set of the control resource sets, wherein each controlresource set in the first set of the control resource sets includes aplurality of resource block groups of a third resource block group size,wherein the second set of the control resource sets includes at leastone resource block group of a fourth resource block group size, whereinthe fourth resource block group size is smaller than the third resourceblock group size, and wherein the method further comprises determiningwhich configured control resource set the fourth sized resource blockgroup is included in according to an indication received by the userequipment or according to a predefined rule.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the third resource block group size is either the first resourceblock group size or the second resource block group size.
 16. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the control channel candidate includescontrol channel elements that include resource element groups, whereindecoding comprises decoding the control channel candidate based on afirst demodulation reference signal pattern and a first resource elementgroup-to-control channel element mapping if the control channelcandidate is received in one symbol control channel, wherein decodingcomprises decoding the control channel candidate based on a seconddemodulation reference signal pattern and a second resource elementgroup-to-control channel element mapping if the control channelcandidate is received in more than one symbol control channel, whereinresource element groups are first frequency mapped to control channelelements before the resource element groups are time mapped to controlchannel elements in the first resource element group-to-control channelelement mapping, wherein resource element groups are first time mappedto control channel elements before the resource element groups arefrequency mapped to control channel elements in the second resourceelement group-to-control channel element mapping, wherein controlchannel elements are first frequency mapped to search space candidatesbefore the control channel elements are time mapped to search spacecandidates, wherein the second demodulation reference signal pattern isdifferent from the first demodulation reference signal pattern.
 17. Anapparatus comprising: a transceiver that monitors a control channelcandidate for a control channel, where the control channel candidatecorresponds to a control channel element parameter that is a function ofa first resource block group size used for user data resourceassignments; and a controller coupled to the transceiver, where thecontroller decodes the control channel; and determines a user dataresource assignment based on the decoded control channel, where the userdata resource assignment is based on a second resource block group size18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein at least one selectedfrom the first resource block group size and second resource block groupsize is at least one selected from determined based on system bandwidthand configured via a higher layer, where a higher layer is higher than aphysical layer.
 19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein thetransceiver receives a higher layer message including at least oneselected from a control channel element size and an aggregation level.20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus isconfigured with control resource sets including a first set of thecontrol resource sets and a second set of the control resource sets,wherein each control resource set in the first set of the controlresource sets includes a plurality of resource block groups of a thirdresource block group size, wherein the second set of the controlresource sets includes at least one resource block group of a fourthresource block group size, wherein the fourth resource block group sizeis smaller than the third resource block group size, and wherein thecontroller determines which configured control resource set the fourthsized resource block group is included in according to an indicationreceived by the user equipment or according to a predefined rule.